


Life after Reset

by zevra1elf



Series: R.I.P.D Verse [2]
Category: Monster Prom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Multi, No Beta, Reincarnation, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:26:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zevra1elf/pseuds/zevra1elf
Summary: A continuation of my R.I.P.D AU for the Monster High universe: Centered mostly around Oz as he gets used to being an immortal embodiment of fear. Follow the Fearling as he discovers what it means to be the immortal embodiment of fear and struggle to find a new 'normal'. Is normal what he really wants though?
Relationships: Blue | Vicky/Scott Howl, Damien LaVey/Yellow | Oz, Green | Brian/Liam de Lioncourt, Polly Geist/Red | Amira
Series: R.I.P.D Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723225
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	1. Ready Players

**Author's Note:**

> This is the larger series for what I am calling my R.I.P.D verse. The first part has a better break down of the world so feel free to check it out! Hope you enjoy this crazy crack I've come up with and if you feel like it leave a comment down below, especially if you have any questions or need some clarification. Enjoy!

Death. Sweet merciful death, how long Ozwald had been waiting for this. How long he had been stuck in the darkness of his family’s basement, locked up and nearly forgotten. Pain and numbness melded together after a certain point until the two were indistinguishable from each other. Maybe that’s why his father had finally left him down here to rot; there was no fun in beating a dog that had already given up. That was fine though, he was more than ready for it all to end. He truly didn’t care where he ended up at this point if there was even anything beyond it. His parents never truly loved him, the world outside didn’t even know he existed so why should dying bother him?

If anything it was a relief as the darkness consumed him, feeling his eyes slide shut as his dark and humid ‘home’ faded to black, his head filling with sweet silence. If only for a moment at the very least. 

When he next opened his eyes bright, white light filled his vision, the young man wincing as he covered his eyes, leaning forward to adjust. He was...standing? When had he gotten up? Had he simply fallen asleep or was he...was this…?

“I know this is a lot but I’m going to need you to stand up straight and stay still for a moment.” Removing his hand Oz looked about the white room, looking for the source of the voice. “Stay still, sir.” The annoyed voice came through a loudspeaker above him making the teen wince, staying still until he heard a ‘beep’ come from the loudspeaker. “Thank you, sir. Please proceed through the door on your right, everything will be made clear to you shortly.” He frowned, reaching out to the glass cubicle he spotted to accuse whoever was behind it before pausing, staring at his form. 

He was...white. Not his skin tone but just pure white light. Weightless, nearly formless, resembling nothing of the ragged doll he was sure he had looked like before. “You’re backing up the queue, sir.” The voice scolded him, causing the human, well, maybe not human any more to walk towards the lighted door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open to face the unknown. He didn’t know what he was expecting; a chorus of angels, a burning hellscape. Any number of things but this look like...well, like one of the office buildings he once saw on TV.

Everything here is clean and orderly, a strict aura around the entire facility. There were many spirits like him sitting in any number of the numerous seats filling the chamber, the sound of phones ringing off the hook, and tellers calling out numbers. People dressed in black suits and robes, skin grey, and imageless as they walked milling about beyond the waiting area. He doesn’t know how long he’s been staring but someone clears their throat, Oz turning his head and yelping at the sight. It’s one of the black-dressed being’s that filled this office but now he can see they have no face. As human-looking as their bodies are this one is, very clearly, not.

Despite having no facial features the woman, he thinks its’ a woman, still manages to smile, holding out a pamphlet. “Here you are. Please sit down in the chair matching your number, please.” She says, Oz staring down at it, vaguely hearing the door open behind him. The pamphlet looks like something you’d find in a doctor’s office or in a school guidance room but the words on it are a shock to his system. _Yes, you’re dead! Where you go from here! A FAQ of the most commonly asked questions to the recently deceased._ He stares down at the paper, picking out a small ticket that sticking out of it that has his name on it. Reading through it he finds it has all his information, date of birth, sex, race, religion...oh. So it was January when he died. No wonder it was so cold in the basement.

“Please don’t lose your ticket. Come on now, both of you.” At this Oz turns to look behind him, finding a smaller but also glowing spirit behind him. From its general shape he can assume they are a female and she too had been staring at the papers she had been given. “S-sorry! Moving along!” He stuttered out, walking down the aisle with his compatriot close behind him. Sitting down in his chair he looks about nervously, many others around him in very much the same predicament. 

“Sooooo….we’re dead.” The spirit next to him, definitely a girl, leans over and looks at the slip with Oz’s name on it. “Oh, we’re in the same group! I wonder what that means.” She hums out, looking to her own pamphlet before reaching out with her hand, a smile in her voice. “Well seat buddy, I’m Vicky! Nice to meet you!” 

Now Oz hasn’t had much human interaction outside of his family before but he knows enough to know this spirit doesn’t mean harm. Besides no one here seems overtly bad anyway so he reaches out and shakes her hand nervously. “I-I’m Oz. I...sorry. That you’re here, I mean.” He mumbles out, the girl tilting her head in confusion before her entire body lights up in acknowledgment. 

“Oh right, cause we’re dead. Duh!” She laughed out, rubbing the back of her head while looking as sheepish as a faceless spirit can be. “Don’t worry about it! The way I was wiring that machine was just asking for it to shock me to death! I’m lucky my death was instant! What about you?... Wait, you don’t have to answer that, that’s rude.” Oz’s shoulders sag visibly in relief when she lets go of that last question, his fellow spirit looking about in curiosity. “So is this what you thought the afterlife would be like? I mean I didn’t really buy the whole ‘Heaven, Earth and Hell’ stuff but I definitely didn’t see myself in the doctor’s office after I died, you know?”

“Huh? Oh...no I didn’t think anything was going to happen really. I’m just as shocked as you are.” Oz muttered, hearing a grunt beside him. He tenses again, looking to his right towards the spirit he had sat down beside. It was taller than him, broad shoulders and chest and the tone of their tired grunt made it sound like this one was a dude. “S-sorry.” 

“Don’t be. Used to waiting.” The man grumbles out, Vicky leaning over Oz to look down at the others ticket number. “Oh he’s in our group! Hi!” She grins, waving to the spirit who merely lets out a hum of thought.

“You think they can tell us apart?” Now it’s Vicky who is turning to see a newcomer sit beside her, a female spirit with more curves than the hyper teen next to Oz. “I mean, they’re Reapers so I guess they can. That’s got to be who they are, right?” She leans back in her chair, looking to the ceiling for a moment before speaking. “I’m Amira, by the way.”

“Brian.” The tired teen grumbles out, Oz looking to the strange group around them. How did these guys intend to tell all of them apart anyway? Didn’t they need to separate who was going where and all that?

“Oh, I bet that’s in the pamphlet!” Vicky declares, tearing her papers open and looking down, humming softly before reading aloud for those around her to hear. “Question 1: Why am I here?” She begins, holding the paper closely to her face. “Obviously you died. The who, where, when and how of it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you don’t fit into the qualifications of your religion or you have no religion at all?” She frowns, pulling the paperback with a raised brow. “What does that mean?”

Amira plucks the Pamphlet out of her hands, reading over the next line of text. “You’re not good enough to go to Heaven and not bad enough to go to Hell. You’re stuck in the middle but the R.I.P.D,” she snorts at the pun, “is here to help!” Her tone turns to a mocking customer service voice as she goes on. “The Reincarnation Integration Program Department has been instated for centuries of human life. Here you will choose what happens to your soul and what life you will lead next! The friendly Reapers around you are here to help.” 

She cackles, shaking her head as she hands the paperback to Vicky. “Oh man, if my mom saw this she would be hella pissed! Crying and asking to speak to the manager,” she pauses, watching as two Reapers begin to drag a screaming woman back to her seat in another part of the room, chuckling under her breath. “Like that!” She points with a smirk, Brian letting out a soft chuckle as something pings of the PA. _Group PCX4 please make your way to meeting room 69_

“Sixty-nine.” Brian chuckles out, the tired spirit standing up before looking down at his cohorts. “Coming?” Vicky eagerly grabs Oz and Amira’s hands, dragging them along as they head down the thankfully clearly marked hallway down to the designated meeting room. This room lacks the sterilized feel of the waiting room they had previously occupied but still feels formal, several chairs surrounding an oval table on one side, a projector behind the seats and a screen in front of them. Standing beside that screen is a tired-looking Reaper dressed in a black business suit, a name tag plastered on their chest reading ‘Nare Rator’.

Brian snorts at the pun which earns him a hard glare, the Reaper pointing to the chairs. “All right, sit down with your tickets out, please. Anyone who lost theirs immediately gets sent to be reincarnated as a rat.” If it’s an empty threat it doesn’t sound like one, so all four spirits quickly find their seats before producing their tickets, the Reaper picking up each ticket, examining each with a soft hum before he walked to Oz. “Pick a color, any color.” He asks simply, the spirit looking up at him with a slightly shocked expression. 

“E-eh?...Yellow?” Oz answers nervously, Nare nodding his head and touching the Spirit’s head. Suddenly the light in the room shifts and Vicky gasps, watching as the light-emitting from her friend shifts from white to yellow. 

“This is easier than trying to stick name tags to a non-physical form, now then next,” the Reaper starts before Vicky shoots up, waving her hand excitedly. 

“Blue! I want blue!” Nare sighs in an exasperated tone, walking over and repeating the process of changing the color of each in turn; Vicky to blue, Brian to green, and Amira to red. It was certainly easier to determine who was who now. Once this was done the Reaper stood in front of their table, standing up a bit straighter in front of the teenage spirits. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, my name is Mr. Nare Ator. I’m a Senior Reaper here in the R.I.P department and I will be your guide into your next incarnation, whatever you choose that to be.” He says informally, Brian leaning back in his chair while letting out a curious hum but no one says anything. Well, Vicky tries but somehow Nare manages to shoot her a look that stopped her from speaking, the blue spirit slumping back into her seat as the Reaper continued. “Believe it or not you all have options as to where you go from here. Earth only has so much room after all and let’s face it, you guys reproduce faster than you die.”

He looks between the group before he holds up the pamphlet that had been handed to each one of them upon arrival. “Now I can only hope you read through this before you came in here so I’m going to answer any STANDARD questions you all have.”

Oz actually raises his hand at this, Nare pointing to the nervous spirit who speaks softly in response. “What if...what if we had just wanted to, you know, stay dead?”

The room is filled with silence at first, Nare hitting him with a hard look before he takes a breath, looking to Oz’s ticket for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “While that is an option we have it’s not something we recommend. At least not before you try reincarnation once, which I see this is all your first time dying. Simply popping a soul out of existence isn’t something we want to do...but that option is there.” 

The somber tone in his voice made Oz pause before looking down at the table, chewing on his non-existent lip. Well of course the Reapers wouldn’t enjoy that part of their jobs but still did he really want to risk going from one messed up situation to something worse?

“Though for those concerned about their lives after reincarnation there is the Monster Integration option.” Nare cheerfully offered, turning off the lights before going to the projector, turning it on and flipping through the screens as he begins to talk. “As you all know most of the time when humans are reincarnated they are reborn as new humans. While this is the most common and comfortable method for you lot it does have disadvantages. As Oz helpfully pointed out, a lot of humans SUCK to varying degrees.” He flips through cartoon pictures of humans doing various different things, to various levels of bad.

“Though for those religious among you it’s a second chance for you to get into your heaven,” a cartoon of an angel floating up to the pearly gates, “or fall to Hell.” The second picture of that same angel, well, falling to Hell. “Of course if you’d rather try for something more exotic you can become an animal of your choice. Though we can’t promise you won’t end up here a lot sooner than you’d like.” A picture of a cartoon dog and said dog crossing the road...with a truck heading right for it. “Of course you won’t have any memory of this conversation should you choose either of those two routes either. Not until you die anyway. While you might have episodes of ‘Deja Vu’ you will not retain any of your memories from your past lives for the most parts until you inevitably die again.”

Nare shrugs his shoulders before he flips to the next screen on the prompter. “There is, however, a third option that while more complex offers you far more control and allows you to retain the memories of your previous life.” The next screen that pops up has a variety of characters of all kinds. Demons, Gorgons, Dragons, Gorgons, Aliens, all sorts of creatures were there but none of them were human. “The Monster option. Now I know you’re all thinking that it’s absurd but before anyone says anything I’d like you to remember that you're currently entities of light so open your minds to the possibilities here.” 

“Now you don’t have much control over what you turn into; it’s generally based on your personality and your life experiences ninety-nine percent of the time humans who choose this option become something at least humanoid so you don’t have to worry about becoming some weird tentacle monster unless that’s your thing. We don’t judge here….like seriously, it’s hard to find a judgemental monster, no one gives a fuck.” Nare hums out, flipping through various pictures of monster life which looked...surprisingly normal.

“After your souls acclimate to your new bodies you’ll be given free rein of your new home in Limbo. This place is the crossroads of souls and you can find all sorts flitting about. That doesn’t mean you can’t travel to other realms. You might end up living in a place like Atlantis on earth or a colony on some far off-planet. Some might even find Hell to be a far more pleasant place when YOU'RE the one shoving the red hot poker up peoples asses. You can truly do whatever it is you want to do as a monster.”

“Why do we offer this option? Well, remember when I said humans are jerks? Well, humans are jerks who liked to hunt monsters for sport in ages past and will still usually freak out and end up killing a monster for the simple act of existing and it is LOT harder for a monster to reincarnate than it is a human.” The next few slides illustrate these points, showing various historical pictures from Greece, Asia, all the way to the stone age. “Not to mention having kids can sometimes be difficult for monsters or damn right impossible in some cases. So by integrating human souls into monsters we stabilize the population and give humans such as yourselves the opportunity to live new exciting lives as monsters!”

“That’s not to say that we don’t have our fair share of jerks and bad guys. We just have a more...lenient, approach of dealing with them.” A short clip of a werewolf bullying a seemingly small, innocent frogling who opens his mouth to the void and swallows his bully whole before spitting him out. The group of spirits stare at the screen in mild shock as Nare flips to the next screen.

“We have dozens of support groups and families of all kinds ready to take you in and teach you about your new bodies and the powers that come with them, regardless of what form you may end up taking. So while it's going to be different than what you’re used to it will never be boring and since the R.I.P.D actually has influence in this realm we can promise that we’ll do everything we can do to assist you.” Nare offered helpfully, turning off the prompter and turning the lights back on. 

“Of course the decision is entirely up to you. We Reapers are powerful but we can’t force a soul to do something they don’t want to do. All we can do is let you know what the options are.” He pats down his shirt before walking to the door. “I’m going to leave you guys alone for five minutes so you can discuss among yourselves what you want to do. I’ll answer any questions you have when I come back.” With that the Reaper exits the door, leaving the four souls alone with their thoughts.

“So...I can go back and try to be an inventor again?” Vicky mused to herself, frowning as she taps her finger to where her mouth would be. “Ah but I wouldn’t remember anything from this life. Would I even become an inventor again?” She grumbles, Oz shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“B-but that’s not necessarily a bad thing you know. There are things I’d honestly rather forget about my old life….” He trails off, looking down at his lap as Amira shoots up. 

“Well I know what I’m going to do! I’m going to become a Monster!” She beams proudly, pointing to herself while Brian turns his head just slightly in her direction. “Cool new powers, chaotic rule and essentially a free pass to go nuts? Hell yes!” She beams, the green soul letting out a soft huff.

“I doubt it’s free but,” He trails off, looking up at the ceiling as he ponders over the information they had been given, “being a monster has to be more exciting than being a human.” There’s a pain behind those words that Oz catches, turning his attention to Brian and looking back to his own hands. Well his old life hadn’t been normal but certainly not in a good way. If he went back to being human maybe he’d have a chance at being normal again. That didn’t guarantee him a good life though. Life as a monster would be unpredictable but at least he was getting a guarantee he’d be safe.

“What if you turn into something like a Vampire though? Doesn’t that mean we’d have to eat humans?” The blue, inquisitive spirit piqued up, Amira letting out a scoff as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner. 

“You saw those photos didn’t you? It’s not like we’re going to the Dark Ages by going that route. This monster society doesn’t look that different at all! Even if not I could think of a few jerks that deserve a pain in the neck.” Now that wasn’t something Oz had considered either. What was the monster human relationship like in this world? Was avoiding eachother at all cost normal or were things like Vampire attacks and Slenderman a real thing? Was it frowned upon to attack humans or embraced? If he decided to back and rip off that bastard's head would he be charged with murder or some lesser offense?

Wait, why was he thinking like that?

“I guess you got a point. What do you think, Oz?” Vicky asked, snapping the yellow spirit out of his thoughts as he found all eyes had turned to him. Not too surprising as he had been the most apprehensive about this whole ‘reincarnation’ business. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure a second time around was the best idea but at least he’d have control over his life, something he never had previously. He’d have a chance to live for himself rather than having to hope and pray something good came his way.

“...You know what? I’m going to give it a shot!” He stated with confidence uncharacteristic to his nature, Vicky shouting happily as she got up from her chair and hugged him close.

“That’s the spirit! We’re all in this together, go big or go home!” Brian lets out a long sigh as if he’s wondering what he’s gotten himself into while Amira laughs out loud. Oz isn’t sure if it’s just Vicky’s infectious attitude or if something about the prospect of becoming a monster is truly exciting but he had made up his mind. He would embrace that decision, good or bad, and run with it, wherever it took him. It couldn’t be anything that crazy, right?

...Right?


	2. The birth of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having made his decision Oz takes the leap to become a monster in his new life. Exactly WHAT kind of monster is not something he was anticipating but world eating horrors can be cuter than you think.

By the time Nare returned the decision had already been made by the group. Of course he was thrilled they had made the choice to become monsters, Earth being as overpopulated as it is, thus leading them out of the small conference room to another building run by the R.I.P.D. “This is the Reincarnation Building though most call it the ‘New You’ building. As you can see it’s kind of busy.” There were lines into different chambers, some longer than others, though one could guess the longer lines went to...wherever the souls who were stupid enough to go back to being human were going.

“Things are busy with the human world; new souls being made, old souls dying, old souls being reincarnated so we can’t devote as much time to placing the souls who want to go back as we’d like to,” Nare explains with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. “We try to make sure everyone ends up somewhere at least moderately better than they started but honestly we don’t have much control over it. It’s not OUR plane of existence after all. HERE however we have a lot more leeway.”

He pushes past a set of double doors with a smile on his featureless face, the to-be monsters looking around the room. Where the first half of the building looked like a factory this looked something like a recreational center. There was a cafeteria, pool area, tv, honestly if it weren’t for the various monsters milling about they wouldn’t know they weren’t on Earth again. “Originally the Monster Recreation Center was not as big as it is today but we quickly learned how over our heads we could get with one single spirit. We had to toss a person into a tub because we hadn’t thought ‘Hey, they might not exactly know how gills work just yet’. That was embarrassing.”

With a laugh, he stops at a set of wide panel windows so the group can look into the room, something like monster physical therapy going on in there. There was one who had multiple limbs and was struggling to hold a cup without breaking it, another who was practicing balancing themselves with a tail. “These days we take into consideration all manner of possibilities so no matter what you turn into rest assured we will do everything we can to get you comfortable in your new body before your support group or family takes you in.” Nare begins walking again, leading them further down the hall to where things start looking like a hospital again.

“This is where you’ll be taking your new forms.” He stated, the Reaper opening the door to one of the many rooms revealing a strange hospital room. There was a cylinder-like machine that reminded one of the incubation chambers you might see in a SyFy show, a hospital bed, a closet of hospital gowns, empty jars of different sizes, a fire extinguisher and plenty of other tools that they might need depending on what they come out as. “You’ll each get a doctor who will do a quick assessment of your bodies after you come out and then we’ll get you into some clothes. I don’t care if you’re covered in fur or scales, we still have to uphold our modesty here. You may be becoming monsters but we’re a society here so there are still rules.”

Nare takes a small folder off the shelf, sticking Oz’s ticket into it before handing it over to the yellow being. “This room is your’s. Answer the questions as honestly as possible.” Oz stares at the folder with wide eyes, the Reaper chuckling before he pats him gently on the head. “Don’t worry, no one will see your answers. Only the Stabilizer's CPU will have those. I don’t really understand the mechanics of it but it helps your spirit conform to a new body.” 

Oz opens up to the first page, reading the first question on-page, his face getting somewhat brighter. “H-how does picking which animal to have sex with help someone fit into a new body?”

“They’re hypotheticals obviously.” Nare chuckled out, rubbing the back of his head. “Don’t think about it too much kid. Just answer the questions however you see fit and then hit the green switch by the door so the doctor knows you’re ready. They’ll take it from there.” He motions for the other three spirits to follow him out of the room, Vicky waving back to him.

“See you on the other side Oz!” She calls out, the spirit holding the folder to his chest as his friends disappear beyond the door. The thought surprises him, breath catching in his throat as he squeezes the papers in his hands. Are they his friends? Would they still be his friends if they knew what he had been through or would they just hang out with him out of pity? He didn’t die in any sort of spectacular way, hell, he didn’t die in one either so did he really have anything in common with them? Actually he didn’t really know anything about them either and yet calling them his friends felt right. A hopeful feeling in his chest grew as he stared down at the folder that had been given to him, walking to the table and sitting down in the provided chair.

“Which animal would I choose...no.” He grumbles out, writing down on the sheet of paper. “No one can make me have sex with an animal.” He huffs out, leaning over the paper as he writes, pressing into the sheet and pulling back, examining his answer with a hum. “That’s me, right?” He mumbles to himself, the question harder to answer than he would like. Since he didn’t get to live much as a human did he truly know who he was before his death? He shakes it off and begins to answer the rest of the questions, ranging anywhere from the reasonable to the downright insane.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been at it when he finishes, looking down at the sheets of paper and nodding before nervously walking over to the door. The moment the yellow spirit touches the button the light above the door goes from red to green, the spirit stepping back and watching as the electronic clock next to it gives him an estimated waiting time. It’s not long after though that his doctor walks, well, slithers in.

The creature in front of him is taller than him once she’s standing up straight, her cobra-like hood fanning out slightly with the rise and fall of her chest. She wears your average doctor’s jacket, the name tag pinned to her chest reading ‘Doctor Kuborah Hissis’. “Good afternoon. Nervous S?” She asks, reaching out to take the folder from Oz, which he hands over reluctantly.

“Y-yeah. It’s not every day you get turned into a new species!” He laughs out nervously, the woman humming softly as she pulls out his ticket, giving it a once over before setting it to the side. “Is this going to hurt?”

“A reasonable question.” She hisses out, the ‘s’ sounds stretched out as one might expect they would, taking the rest of the papers and slithering over to the Spirit Stabilizer and sliding them into a slit at its’ slide locking it into place and pushing a few buttons that are behind a glass pane. “You may feel a slight discomfort but nothing too bad. Right now you’re essentially light held together by sheer force of will. The Spirit Stabilizer only takes that will of your’s and allows it to take a new shape. Which is why I have to ask,” she comes back over to Oz, towering over him, “are you sure about this? There can be...complications if your heart isn’t into it.”

Ah, figures there would be a catch. Oz looks back to the machine, then to the doors that lead to the exit, briefly wondering if he had made the right choice. Vicky was expecting him on the other side though and he was sure the other’s were waiting to see him as well. “I’m sure.” 

The serpent's lips quirk into a smile, her tongue flicking out to taste the air. He imagines that if he was nervous she might be able to taste his feelings in the air or something stupid like that but if she can tell she says nothing. Instead, the doctor slithers to the door of the S.S and opens it, looking back to Oz.

“Climb in then. The door will lock securely once I close it behind you and it’s airtight. Just in case you turn into a water elemental or something like that.” Kuborah waits for the spirit to enter the chamber, turning around as it slides shut. He can hear the airtight seal she was talking about earlier vacuum shut as she moves out of his line of sight though he can hear her start to work the buttons on the machine once more.

“All right Oz, I want you to take deep, even breathes for me. When you tell me you’re ready I’m going to flip this switch and the process will begin.” This is it. There was no turning back now, no second-guessing himself. He takes in what he considers his last breath as a human before looking in the direction her voice had come from.

“Ready!”

The next thing he hears is an audible click and the sound of the machine whirring to life, Koburah slithering into view and putting on some shades made for her face. “This will take anywhere from one to two minutes so hang in there for me. Once you’re done I’ll open this door and catch you if you fall.” Oz hears her voice like a distant echo, stumbling back and pressing his body to the quickly warming metal of the machine. 

The light starts to grow in intensity, Oz shutting his eyes and looking at the floor to keep himself from being blinded. Briefly, he can see the yellow light that had been emitting from his spiritual form disappear, consumed by an inky black void that climbs up from his feet to the rest of his body. Wincing as the light becomes too much the new being covers his eyes, feeling himself becoming something...more. He can’t quite place what that feeling is but there is something comfortingly familiar about it. When the light dies down Oz removes his hands, staring down at the black skin that covers his form.

Skin...no that’s not right. It’s physical but it’s not quite normal either. “Wooo boy. We’ve got a wildcard here.” He watches the doctor come back to view, reading something that had just been printed out by the machine. “How are you feeling in there? Dizzy?” Oz nods in affirmation. “Shaky?” Another nod. “Any all-consuming desires to devour the world?” That one takes Oz off guard, eyes widening as he quickly shakes his head. 

“N-No!” The words come out but like before his mouth doesn’t move. His voice is more or less projected out of him and while he’s not sure how he can tell the Snake can hear him just fine. 

“Ok, good. I’m going to just,” she marks something on her clipboard before humming gently, setting it to the side before she leans up to the door. “The door will open on three. You can walk out, fall into me, whatever you need to do, ok?” Oz nods, waiting by the door as she counts down and stumbling through when at last it opens. “Gotcha!” Koburah gently grabs him under his arms, lifting him up and sliding over to the hospital bed, helping him lay down on it.

“Let’s take a look at those pearly whites.” He’s sure she’s talking about his teeth but instead, she shines a light into his eyes, humming softly before grabbing the clipboard. “Light resistances. Ok now let’s check out the OTHER pearly whites if you got them.” Oz’s face twists in concentration, eyes screwing shut as he focuses on trying to open his mouth for the first time. He can feel the stretch, feel something shift behind his flesh and it’s weird, making him squirm where he lays. “Ok, ok, shapeshifting is not going to come easy to you so we’ll take a raincheck on that.” His body slumps back to the bed when she tells him to stop, relief washing over his form.

“Let’s see.” She pokes his forearm, looking up at him. “Feel that?” Another nod, another jot on her clipboard before she slides away. “Ok Oz, want to get the first look at your new body?” She offers her arms once again and the young man nods his head slightly, sitting up slowly and leaning into her, taking small steps to turn his body around. An audible gasp leaves his throat as his eyes meet those of his reflection.

Somehow he’s physical and yet not physical at the same time. Small little black orbs come out of him before blipping out of existence, not feeling any sense of weight to his body. He briefly wonders if he can float as his hands wander to the top of his head, trying to fix the inky black mass there into some semblance of air. His human body had been skin and bones but this was had muscle and definition to it. He even had the beginning of abs for christ’s sake and...and…

As his eyes trail lower he lets out a startled shout, the snake wincing and covering her ear holes as the nearest jars in the room break into tiny pieces at the sudden shriek, the mirror before him splintering as well. “I’m naked!” He blurts out, covering his genitals, well, the spot where they shout be with his hands, face blushing white as the doctor removes her hands with a sigh.

“Well yes, you were just reborn.” She chuckles out nervously, removing her hands from her head before making her way to a cloth closet, pulling out a hospital gown and handing it over to him with her tail. “Try this one.” She says though she must have some suspicion that it might not work because she’s searching through the closet for something else. 

Oz quickly puts the light blue gown over his body for the sake of modesty, mumbling to himself when he can’t quite reach to tie the back so his ass isn’t comically hanging out. “Ah good, you can wear normal clothing. Someone forgot to check if we had incorporeal hospital gowns but that will do just fine.” She looks over her shoulder and chuckles as Oz continues to try and cover his round buttocks, slithering behind him and grabbing the ties. “Relax, I’m a doctor! I see naked bodies all the time.”

That doesn’t keep Oz’s face from burning as she ties the back of his gown into places, shifting from one foot to the other as she moves away with a soft hum of thought. His eyes trail back to the mirror that he had broken and then to the shattered glass jars on the other side of the room. “Did I do that?” He whispers to himself, looking down at his hands in awe as the woman nods her head in confirmation. 

“Looks like it. Not exactly sure what kind of Eldritch you are yet but we’ll figure it out soon.” The Snake hummed out, Oz nodding his head in acknowledgment as the words slowly register in his head. The moment the truth hits him his whole body spikes out, turning to face her with wide eyes.

“Eldritch! Like those Cthulhu things that are said to end the world and,” he stammers out, the cobra raising her hands and quickly moving over as the room shook.

“Calm down Oz! Deep breaths.” The woman urges, the newest horror taking in several breaths, not noticing how tense the room was feeling until he managed to calm down from the shock of learning exactly what he was. He had never been allowed to wander much when he was still human so what he knew was from what he saw on television and in books. So to learn that he was some world-ending horror was a shock to his system, to say the least. “It’s a once in a blue moon deal but yeah, you’re an Eldritch Horror. It’s not the end of the world unless you decide to try and I don’t think you’re the type.”

The shadowy figure took another breath, nodding his head slowly as he sits back down on the hospital bed, squeezing the edge with his hands. “Ok, so...what happens now?” He asks, the doctor letting out a soft hum as she tilts her head. 

“Well, I’m still sane looking at you which is an amazing amount of control for one of your kind that was just born. It might slow down to your release from the Recreation Rehabilitation Center and we’ll have to dig a little to find an appropriate house to sit you in but you’ll be able to live a normal monster life. We don’t cage up monsters just because they COULD pose an interdimensional threat.” She soothes, gently patting Oz’s head before she goes to the phone, dialing the number for the front desk, gently explaining the first situation.

“First we’ve got to find out what type of Horror you are. That will help us determine what we can do for you and what kind of help you’ll need in the future.” She reassures him, grabbing a broom to sweep all the glass into a corner while they wait. The door opens with a soft creek, this new doctor looking like...well, a blob of tentacles. Its’ suckers making popping sounds as they lift off the floor, pushing a small cart full of jars over to the hospital bed, approaching Oz and examining him closely with its’ single red eye. 

“Hmmm…” the voice echoing through his mind is both male and female at the same time, the creature reaching for the cart and pulling it in front of the shadow being.

“Do any of these attract you at all?” It asks, Oz looking down at the strange jars, each filled with a different color sludge. He picks one up curiously, shivering as the purple sludge presses against the jar’s lid to try and get to him, quickly putting it down. Not that one. He hovers his hand over a red one and immediately wants to crush it to pieces so he decides against that one as well. Then there is a jar with a thick, black liquid, picking it up and bringing it up to his face to examine it. It moves like homemade slime, slowly moving side to side as he tilts the bottle left and right. 

Doctor Koburah stays back as Oz goes to open the jar but the other Horror in the room does nothing as he stares down at the strange substance. It smells like danger, blood and strawberries surprisingly enough as a thought crosses his mind that makes him turn his head to the tentacle Horror. “Can I...eat this?” He asks, the being nodding its’ head before Oz’s eyes turn back to the sludge. He brings it slowly up to where his mouth should be and focuses, feeling his mouth split open with ease. Maybe it’s because of the sudden hunger that pools in his stomach because all he wants is to devour the unknown substance before him. Not the smartest thing to do but considering he’s no longer human he can afford to take risks.

His tongue, a dark purple appendage that is illuminated by the faint white light emerging from within his mouth. When it splits in two he doesn’t feel it, unaware of anything other than the satisfaction he feels as he scoops the soupy substance into his mouth. It tastes just like he smells, easing the empty feeling in his stomach. Even after the last of it is gone his tongues still searching the walls of the jar for more food. “Fear then.” Oz doesn’t pull away from the plastic jar when the Doctor, ‘Cylla’ by its’ name tag, speaks, his eyes turning to it with a curious look on his face.

“What you just absorbed was a concentrated dose of fear making you a type of Fear Horror. Fearling if you want to simplify it.” Oz slowly moves the jar away from his mouth, tongues sliding back into his mouth, sealing shut before he can get a good look inside of it. “Your kind feeds off of the fears and anxieties of humans and monsters alike. Considering you haven’t attempted to grab any of the other jars in search for more you have remarkable control.” Koburah is taking notes on her clipboard as the entity goes on, the being rolling the cart away and looking down at him, eye scrunching in a caring manner. “We’ll find you a good teacher who can help you master this control. You have nothing to worry about.”

It pulls away for a moment, laughter ringing in Oz’s mind as it reaches out with its’ tentacle to poke at his shoulder. He can feel it come in contact with something that is him but not quiet and thus he turns his head towards the feeling. Another of those blobs had appeared on his shoulder but this was different. It wiggled on its’ own, moving shyly away from the tentacle, curling into the crook of Oz’s neck. “Awww your first phobia! How adorable!” Cylia laughs out, pulling away and moving to grasp the cart once more. 

“I’m going to see if your room is ready for you. Doctor Kobura, it’s a pleasure seeing you again. We still up for lunch on Saturday?” 

The doctors conversation fades into the background as Oz’s attention turns to the ‘phobia that had appeared on his shoulder, reaching up and gently petting the small blob on the head. It moves away from his neck, traveling down his arm. He turns his hand palm up as the blob continues to move down, the small creature turning to gaze up at Oz. With his other hand he gently pets the Phobias head, chuckling softly as it leans into his touch like a cat would, warmth growing in his chest. It was supposed to be an abomination of fear and torment yet it just looked so...cute.

The small phobia smiles up at him, little arms springing from its’ tiny form to grasp at the finger petting it. “Hey, there little guy.” He breathes out, smiling down at it. He feels like it is somehow both a part of himself but also an independent being itself. Such a strange little thing.

“Arachnophobia.” The word snaps himself out of it as Doctor Koburah speaks, the woman having lifted the now empty jar to her face to examine the label on it, Doctor Cylla having taken the rest of the cart away with her. “A common fear, easy enough for our Cultists to extract.” She muses, putting the jar back down as Oz examines the small phobia in his hand. 

“The fear of spiders.” He knew the meaning of the word before but somehow he is more intimately familiar with it. He feels like if he concentrated hard enough he could conjure up the feeling of multiple legs crawling up one's skin, making their nests right near your bed and-

“Could you please refrain from experimenting with your powers around us more delicate monsters?”

His white eyes turn to the snake woman who has now slithered away from him, visibly shaking from something she could not see nor feel but Oz knows he’s somehow responsible for it. His face blushes white, the phobia shirking in his palm as he nods his head. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean to! I was just thinking about it and,” he trails off, unsure of how to describe what had just happened, how he had managed to exert this new power over fear on a woman who had been nothing but helpful towards him. 

“That is quite all right.” The snake takes in a deep breath, her hood deflating now that she didn’t feel threatened, posture relaxing. “Accidents are common with Reincarnated Monsters. Doctor Cylla was just talking about how she passed a room that had caught on fire briefly due to a new Fire Djinn testing her powers. Might be one of your friends actually. You’ll see when you get to the hospital rooms I suppose.” She looks down at her PA as it begins to beep, nodding her head before turning to Oz. “Speaking of which it looks like your hospital room is ready. Do you feel like you can walk or do you need assistance?”

“I’d like to walk if that’s ok.” He gets off the examination table, his feet making little sound as they patted against the floor as they walked through the halls of the hospital. It was clear when they had left the surgical area and were heading to the recovery rooms. He saw a few monsters in passing, some of them doctors others who he would assume were reincarnated like himself. So absorbed was he in everything new that he didn’t notice someone waving at him until his name was called out. 

“Oz! Oz is that you? Oz!” He jerked his head in the direction of the voice, seeing a blue-skinned girl rushing towards him, her mostly black hair bobbing as she ran. There was no way to visibly recognize her at first but he recognized her voice almost immediately. 

“Vicky?” He questions, gasping as she slams into him, caught in her hug as another doctor rushes to them to catch up to his rambunctious patient. 

“It is you!” She laughs out, pulling back to look at him up and down. “Look at you! You’re...so inky.” She pokes at his skin, the cyclops doctor gasping as he caught up. “I have soooo much energy right now. I wasn’t really all there at first but then they plugged me into a wall and just WOW!” She laughs out, the man sighing as he gently pries her away from the horror. 

“Might have been a bit too much juice actually.” He grumbles out, Oz taking in Vicky’s new form for the first time. Her skin was now a pale blue and stitched together in some places he discovered. A pair of bolts protruded from her neck along with a white stripe of hair that was stereotypical of one type of monster he knew.

“You’re a...Frankenstein’s Monster?” He asks, Vicky nodding her head as she spins around, escaping her doctor’s grip. 

“I know right?! This body feels so weird but look!” Oz blushes as she cups her breasts. “I have tits! I was so flat-chested before but now I have actual boobs! Wanna see?” The smile she is giving him is almost mad, her doctor grasping her arms and picking her up as she went to lift up her hospital gown. 

“Definitely too much for your first time. Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Vicky protests as the man carries her over his shoulder, Oz letting out a soft sigh of relief as he watches them go, Doctor Koburah resting a hand on his back, gently nudging him to follow the two to the hospital room that had been set up for the group. They push through a set of double doors that open up to a spacious hospital room divided into four parts by sliding curtains.

Immediately to his left, he sees Amira lounging on her bed, one leg crossed over the other. Well, he’s assuming it’s Amira because if Vicky is Blue like she had been before then the now literally flaming redhead must be Amira and the green-skinned man staring out the window must be Brian. Then again there’s not a speck of yellow on Oz’s body so he could be wrong. “Vicky!” The voice coming out of the Fire Djinn though proves his assumption was right, Vicky giggling from where she draped over the Cyclop’s shoulder. 

“I'VE GOT BOOBS!” She once more declared proudly, the doctor gently setting her down on the bed as Amira breaks into laughter, a smile on her face.

“Want to compare assets?” Amira teases, Brian’s attention suddenly captured, looking over his shoulder to observe the two girls. Now Oz can see that parts of his face are missing revealing muscle and bone the pieces clicking together. Brian was a zombie more than likely and it was almost envious how obvious the other three had such obvious species. 

“You lot are going to be a handful when we release you to the world.” Doctor Koburah chuckled out, putting the clipboard next to Oz’s bed watching her head back towards the door. “Well if you need anything just hit the buttons next to your bed...except for maybe that one, keep her away from any buttons for a while.” She points at Vicky briefly before looking to each of the new monsters. “We will be giving you twenty-four hours for your bodies to stabilize. Then we’ll figure out what help each of you needs and move from there.” She stated before leaving the room and the patients to themselves.

“So,” Brian drawls out, looking Oz up and down, “what exactly are you?”

“I have no idea.”


End file.
